by Evelyn Garski, bollywood-worldwide.com
14. Mai 2008


Mr. Werner,

thank you very much for taking the time to answer the interview questions for Bollywood-Worldwide.com.

"Romance TV - time for feelings (Zeit der Gefühle)" includes as probably the only TV channel at the moment in Germany movies and serials which will give every woman´s heart a higher heart beating - from big German film productions to comedies, serials, telenovelas to pathetic and opulent love dramas made in Hollywood and Bollywood.

E.Garski:
How did the idea arise to align your TV channel with "typical female" film interests ? Do you think that this section was miss out on TV till now ?

T.Werner:
The need for a transmitter without violence and brutality appeared to us in a general trend in society harmony and romance consistent. In the everyday bustle of a society, heavily influenced by the media, Romance TV sets an "island of harmony" on television. In addition, the very male dominated Pay TV has so far neglected the target group of women. This gap we wanted to close. In principle, we took on with Romance TV the trend from the magazine market, which have been served a long time women in a very specific way .

E.Garski:
Since the 14th February 2008 (Valentine's Day) Romance TV is now broadcasted. How was your film program accepted by the audience?

T.Werner:
With an exceptionally high and above all positive press response to the launch - and beyond individual actions - we can more than satisfied. In an internal market analysis of the platform operator Premiere Star, we appeared after a few weeks on air under the two most popular channels in favour of the audience.

E.Garski:
Love dramas / heartache and pain, would be called as "kitsch and Schnulze", mostly smiled or almost with aa negative touch. Could you live as a transmitter to be entitled as a "trash station" ? Or would you rather proud of it?

T.Werner:
For me romance and love have in no way a negative touch. I think that somewhere in every dormant yearning for harmony and tenderness.

E.Garski:
Adaptations of novelist Rosamunde Pilcher, the series "dream boat" and Hollywood love movies with Demi Moore, Goldie Hawn and Robin Williams are probably known to the most viewers because of more regular broadcasts of the various channels. Bollywood films in comparison rather have a shadow-existence . Why do you have chosen Bollywood as an integral part in your program?

T.Werner:
With strong brands, which reach in Free TV about 8-10 million viewers, such as with "The dream ship" or "Rosamunde Pilcher" films, series and telenovelas classics we determine a large part of our programme. We as a special interest channel provide a 24 hours program, which of course remains in this environment room for new. So we can serve genre oriented and special interests or pick up trends such as Bollywood.

E.Garski:
You are focusing exclusively on the romantic side of Bollywood and currently incorporated into these big films 1x per month at prime time on Friday evening. Are you planning to broadcast Bollywood films later more frequently?

T.Werner:
If we are getting positive audience reaction and also from producer side supplies in the same way, I certainly don´t except this idea.

E.Garski:
Bollywood films often have a duration of about 3 hours or more and therefore (as regret of the fans) are mostly fairly reduced for the German market. What about your channel? Are the movies aired as full-length films, and if so, why?

T.Werner:
Of course, as a special interest channels we have more possibilites than a free TV channel. In the flexible environment of a subscription channel, our aim is to transport the most authentic productions. This includes the broadcast in full length.

E.Garski:
Bollywood became really known in Germany through the films with superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Will you be attached to it too and mainly show Shah Rukh Khan movies as "magnet" or do you show films with different stars from the almost inexhaustible pot Bollywood´s which here are rather known?

T.Werner:
We are entitled to a certain equipment, story, style and Cast. As romance channels, we preferably will show the most opulent, romantic stories of "1001 nights" with enchanting dance scenes to hijack the viewers into a strange world. A superstar Shah Rukh Khan is not necessarily decisive.

E.Garski:
What criteria select Bollywood films for your channel and do you get the movies already dubbed or do you have to overwork it??

T.Werner:
The criteria are the qualitative, on the other hand, the economic aspect. To edit films and if necessary to synchronize is for a freshly launched special interest channel an expense which is not possible.

E.Garski:
Mr Gottfried Zmeck, the chairman of the Mainstream Media AG, refers to you as "Mr. Romance " applies to you as being the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Romance TV. What excites you to lead a station with typical female content?

T.Werner:
After 10 years working as a licensed dealer at ZDF, I have sold all the programme's content worldwide and noted how successful the genre of "romance" is. When the job offer from Mainstream Media AG came, I gladly accepted the new challenge to create and manage a TV station.

E.Garski:
Are you in real life a "Mr. Romance " too and do you watch romantic movies, if so, which? What do you think about Bollywood by yourself (German male fans are quite in the lower number)?

T.Werner:
I like to watch films like bestseller film adaptions, as e.g. by Jane Austen, which we on Romance TV are holding off at the moment. In Bollywood productions, I have only the problem if too many genres are mixed, ie if action, thriller, comedy and love story are intervowen. But with my last seen Bollywood movies "Bombay" or "UMRAO JAAN" I can very well organize my leisure.

E.Garski:
To conclude: What plans / visions do you have for Romance TV in the future?

T.Werner:
My vision is to establish the most popular women´s channel in the Pay TV landscape. And even if we succeed in that a couple of men secretly see our program, we have achieved our aim.

Bollywood Worldwide.com thanks you very much for this interview and wish you, your transmitter and viewers a wonderfully romantic time.

more information (in german language) about Romance TV are on their official homepage

www.romance-tv.de